Complexities
by may5475
Summary: This is a Jayfeather/ Willowshine fanfic. Hope you like!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Complexitites

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, although I wish that I did so I could just write it my way, but whatever. No time for rants right now. =)

Rated: T, just in case but I doubt it…

Jayfeather stalked forward into the undergrowth. His pelt felt soggy and weighted down by the light rain that had begun falling when he started to collect herbs. He didn't want to do it, but Leafpool had insisted he go.

"StarClan, do you want me to catch a cold? I may be a medicine cat, but Runningnose, if you can hear me, I don't want to become like you." He tilted his head up to look at the sky, but he still couldn't see a thing. No flash of light came to him so he could see the gray colors that were floating in the sky. He could just feel the cool droplets on his face.

"Talking to yourself?" He heard Hollyleafs' inquisitive meow behind him.

"As if you didn't?" He shot back, wishing he could glare at her to show his annoyance. "No, I'm just annoyed by StarClan for making it rain when I have to go collect herb."

Hollyleafs' pelt quivered with frustration. "Since when did I talk to myself?" She questioned him, her tail flicking.

"Whenever you hunted. You talked so loud, it's no wonder the prey ran away." He hissed at her. This wasn't the right time to argue with him. He was trying to smell for catmint.

"You followed me?" Hollyleafs' pelt bristled now. "Just because you have good ears didn't mean you had to listen to what I say."

"As if I couldn't already hear it in your head." Jayfeather muttered under his breath. And this was true; he could hear and "see" all the cats' thoughts. He thought it was weird, but he did have the power of the stars in his paw, so…Or did he? He was so unsure of everything right now. Were they still part of the prophecy even though Hollyleaf had died? Nothing made any sense to him.

As if she could hear his frustration, a hiss of annoyance was the only response he received. Then, she turned around and dashed into the stars. Jayfeather let out a sigh. He missed her so much.

"Stupid sister." He loved her, but how could she just leave them like that? What was the Clan going to do now? Leafpool had left him by himself, Firestar wasn't talking to anyone, and the other cats wouldn't even come to get help because he was half-Clan.

Again, he let out an annoyed sigh and went back to searching for herbs.

As he returned back to camp with a mouthful of herbs, he heard something moving in the trees. Very light paw steps disrupted the usual silence that the forest held. He tried to scent for who it was, but he couldn't detect who it was. Then again, he probably could, but he herbs were filling his nose with many other scents.

He continued padding towards the camp, curious to know who was following him. 

He heard a noise to his left, probably 100 yards away. _Great, just what I need. Another cat who needs help. _He figured it would be Icepaw or Foxpaw, climbing a tree and they'd fallen. "If you can hear me, you're stupid for trying that!" He meowed, echoing through the cathedral of trees that surrounded the area.

No response.

"You stupid furballs, stop…"

He was cut off at what he found. He couldn't see who it was, but he smelled a strong scent of RiverClan. _Willowshine_.

A soft mew was coming from the direction of the scent. He ran towards it, trying to think why she would be here.

Her Clan's been invaded and she's come to seek refuge with ThunderClan. But why wouldn't she go to one of the neighboring Clans? She could just go right over the border into ShadowClan or WindClan. It wasn't likely that both Clans had attacked, so that theory didn't make sense.

There was a sickness in RiverClan and she needed herbs. But wouldn't Mothwing have come as well? Apprentices hardly ever travel over borders alone. _Well, most apprentices. _He thought of his littermates.

So what could it be? Badger attack? Two-legs? Food? It made no sense for the stupid she-cat to be in ThunderClan territory.

"Jaypaw?" She meowed towards his direction. "Are you there?"

"Of course I'm here, you stupid mousebrain. It's Jayfeather, remember?" He didn't have time to take care of another cat.

"Well, could you help me?" She hissed, back in traditional form.

"What did you do?" He asked as he stood at a distance.

"I grew wings and I flew into the sky. I hit a bird and then fell and landed here." The dryness was like a claw in his pelt. "I fell out of a tree, dimwit."

"What were you doing in a tree if you can't climb?" He shot back.

"I _can_ climb, I just lost my footing and fell." She lifted up her paw. "It's sprained."

"How would you know?" He hissed as he made his way down to where she was sitting.

"I'm a medicine cat apprentice…with a real name." Her emotions were mixed; pride, annoyance, guilt, fear, and pain.

"Not a very good one from a cat who doesn't believe in StarClan is what I'd say." He meowed under his breath.

"It's not _my _fault she doesn't believe in them. Besides, my name is very good and creative." He could picture her holding her head up just a little higher at the thought that her name wasn't that great.

Truly, he did like her name. He thought it fit her very appropriately. She did shine somewhat.

"Yes, and foxes are nice and kind creatures." He hissed back.

"Would you mind fixing my paw? It's kind of hurting here." She meowed, giving up. Jayfeather sighed and sniffed it.

"Good job on _knocking it out of place_." He raised his eyebrows that she couldn't have seen the difference between the two herself. "Hold on."

He pulled on it and heard a yelp from the young she-cat as he popped it back into place. "There you go. Good as new." He felt irritated that she couldn't have figured it out herself.

"Er…thanks." She muttered her thank you under her breath as she stood up. "It feels much better."

"Well, since it wasn't sprained, it was pretty easy to fix." He felt pride swell up in his chest as he talked to her.

She just snickered at his comment as she started to walk up the hill.

"Wait. You have to tell me why you're in my territory." He felt himself bar his teeth, as if just seeing her for the first time.

"You need to tell _me _why you found me so quickly." He could picture her smiling at him, as she had caught him on a difficult question.

"I… well I heard you." He meowed, trying to make his voice sound confident. He knew she wouldn't believe that he could hear that far away. But then, how _did _he know where she was and that she was in trouble? This question posed a problem that he couldn't find a solution to.

"You couldn't have! I was so far away, there was no way you could have seen, er, _heard _me." She shook her head. "No, there has to be something else. You have to explain."

He wanted to, but he didn't even understand it. "I don't know. I just knew you were in trouble and smelled you from over here…"

He felt the disbelief in her gaze burning his pelt. He couldn't answer her question, though.

"Anyway, why were you here in the first place?" He meowed, trying to change the subject.

"I came to…well, I…um, it's kind of complex…I…" He felt the shift in her moods. She felt confused and didn't know the answer to the question posed at her.

"Well…?" He meowed, very curious now.

"I…um, well, I…had a vision." She meowed, curling her tail around her as a security mechanism, Jayfeather guessed. "You know, a type of prophecy."

"Did you tell Mothwing?" He asked, although he figured she wouldn't believe the she-cat even if she had.

"No. I figured she wouldn't care. And I knew Barkface wouldn't be able to understand it. He sees the same, narrow way as the rest of us. But you…" Willowshine came over and sat closer to Jayfeather. His pelt was completely soaked from standing in this same spot for the entire time. "You see different than the others. You have a different perspective." She sniffed the air at the same time. "And, well, frankly, you stink. What have you been doing, rolling in mousedung? Great StarClan, what is wrong with you?" She asked.

"What was the stupid prophecy?" Jayfeather hissed, annoyed that he'd even started this conversation. Willowshine padded up he hill, away from him.

"Should I tell him? Let me think about it…" She felt very excited all of a sudden. "Tell you what, Jayfeather. I'll tell you about the vision…if you'll have a contest with me."

"What, a 'how-dumb-can-you-get' type of contest?" He asked, the sarcasm dripping from his lips. "I'm sure you'll excel at that."

She ignored his comment. "An agility contest. We'll climb trees, run, and swim."

He hissed at the thought of swimming. He despised the idea, especially after the tunnels. It was true he had taught Cinderheart how to swim, but he didn't like it. "Swim?"

"What, are you scared you won't 'excel' at that?" She meowed tauntingly.

"No, I just am not as mousebrained as RiverClan to go get soaking wet and risk drowning." He shot back.

"Whatever." She laughed a shimmering laugh and then jumped onto a tree. "You ready to compete or are you too scared?"

"Just don't cry when you lose." He meowed back, gripping the tree. His claws felt sturdy. _I hope Leafpool doesn't hate me for this. Oh well, she can collect herbs in this weather if I die. _

"Ready…set…go!" The two cats began climbing as fast as they could.

Jayfeather couldn't see where his paws were, but he could see in his head a tree. He saw two cats climbing, one sprinting, the other struggling to keep up.

_Hurry up, you stupid furball! You can go faster than that! Faster! Move your paws! It's not even that big of a tree. You can beat that stupid RiverClan cat! Kill her if you have to._

He heard this echo in his head. He thought it was the voice of Lionblaze. It sounded identical to him. But Lionblaze wouldn't have been pushing his this hard. He would have been supporting him.

Brambleclaw! His father would want him to win, but not with that kind of burning desire to win.

_Kill her if you have to._

Brambleclaw wouldn't say that. There was only cat that he knew who would say that. Or, maybe he didn't know him, but he knew enough about him to know it was Tigerstar.

Suddenly, a muscular tabby tom entered his vision. "Greetings, Jayfeather. I see you are in competition." Jayfeather managed to nod. "You do realize you have to win, correct?" Tigerstar asked in a rough, power-hungry voice that said if he didn't, he would kill him.

"Why?" He asked.

"'_Why?' _Are you completely mousebrained? She is a RiverClan cat. She can't be trusted. The only cats you can trust are those in your Clan. Sometimes, not even those." He let out a hiss. "You must win." He repeated.

Jayfeather nodded. Then, he was back with the wind in his fur. He could feel that he was very high off the ground. He heard his name being called.

"Jayfeather! Jayfeather! _Jayfeather!_" He looked down, but realized that he couldn't see a thing anyway. "Watch out!" He felt a nudge from a paw in his side.

"Watch it! You almost knocked me off!" He hissed at Willowshine.

"You just about fell off because you weren't paying attention. What, were you daydreaming?"

He shook his head, for he feared if he spoke his voice would give away that he was lying.

"You won, you dimwit. You reached the branch that was the checkpoint." She hissed at him. "You can be so mousebrained sometimes. Now, lets get down."

She started going down the tree, guiding him with her tail.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Complexities

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I owned 'em, I don't. =(

Rated: T, just in case

The next thing he knew, they were back on the ground. His grandfather hadn't spoken him to since then, which he was grateful of. He figured that it was a one-time thing, that in his panic he had gone delusional and daydreamed of speaking to his too-well-known traitor of a grandfather.

The swimming competition came next.

He failed at it.

Then the running competition came. It came down to this to determine if he would hear the vision.

"We'll run until we reach the old, abandoned Twoleg house, okay?" He asked her. She nodded.

As he ran, he felt a sudden pulse surge through him.

Win. Win. Win. The only thing that matters is that you achieve and win. You must win.

He was never competitive, but this seemed to provoke him to win. And that he did.

"You won! I hate you!" Willowshine hissed at him. He could tell she didn't want to spill her secret. "I…"

"You're going to tell me the vision now." He meowed, pride echoing through his voice.

"Fine…sit down."

"I was sleeping in my nest last night. Mothwing was attending to some of the cats with greencough, so I wasn't bothered too much. Then, this cat came to me. He was all sparkly and I knew at once he had to be a StarClan cat. He told me he was Crookedstar, the old leader before Leopardstar. I was astonished for him to be coming to me in a dream, but then I remembered Mothwing's lack of faith.

"He said that something was going to happen that would tear RiverClan apart. He told me that I would receive some warning, but nothing significant. He said that it had to happen for the Clans to continue living. I begged him to change his mind, but he said it was the destiny of all of us.

"That was it. Except, this morning, I walked outside to stretch and check on the sick cats. And then…a raven flew into a tree and died."

She was shivering at the memory, but Jayfeather was somewhat confused.

"A raven? What does that have to do with anything?" He meowed.

"Several things. First of all, ravens don't fly in our territory. They don't like the marshes and the water. They are in your and ShadowClans' territory. Second, I found several more in our water supply. That means the water, and fish, will get contaminated. That means that we will die." She meowed the last sentence so that it was no more than a whisper.

"A raven…" Jaypfeather contemplated it. "Ravens are big. They fly. They eat carrion. And…" The thought came to him quicker than he expected. "A storm. Not only will the birds poison your water supply, but a storm will come and black out your Clan!"


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Complexitites

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Warriors, so I can't see it…I said no!…what was that price again? You'll give me THAT much…well if I could, I would, you know.

Rating: T, you know, just in case…lol…

_What's wrong with me? Did something go wrong when we were all three born? I mean, the Code was so important to Hollyleaf she had been willing to die for it. Jayfeather respected the Code in his own way. But me, I mean, the Code is great and I wouldn't dare break it, but…what if I never find a mate in ThunderClan? Then what?_

"Lionblaze! You're on dawn patrol!" Brambleclaw yowled at him, frustration transparent. "Do you have bees in your brain?"

Lionblaze could feel the hatred radiating off his "fathers" pelt. Ever since the Gathering, nothing had been right. Leafpool had temporarily left…and for some reason, Lionblaze felt he actually missed her. _StarClan knows why…_

Brambleclaw had been ignoring him completely or when he was forced to come into contact, he was curt and angry. He had good reason, of course, and Lionblaze had too much on his mind to care anyway.

Firestar had secluded himself in his den ever since they had returned back. He was ashamed of his daughters, both of them, for lying to him, especially Leafpool for breaking the Code.

And then there was Hollyleaf. He could still see her face as she tumbled into the tunnels, never to be seen again. There was sadness, loneliness, and above all, fear, in her eyes. Not of dying, of course, but of living. Living in a Clan where the Code truly seemed to have no purpose. Living where every cat would know she was half-Clan, which was against the Code. Living with the guilt of telling everyone of Leafpools' betrayal to her Clan and the Code. He knew she never would have made it.

Someone would have killed her first.

The scary part of it was, he knew it would have been him. He saw his paws tearing her apart as he told her what a mousebrain she was for telling every single cat about their secret. He could feel her warm blood as it gushed out of her throat. He could smell the bitter scent as she lay in front of his paws, dead. He could hear the voices; hers, telling him to get it over with, their mothers', begging him not to do this, the Clans horrified shrieks.

Most of all, he could hear Tigerstar. The huge tabby yowled in his ears to finish her for not being half-Clan and for exposing all of them. The trouble was, after he had done it, he would have to kill his brother too and then himself because that was true for all three of them. He would bring his paw to his own throat, or wait for another cat to finish him off.

Most likely that would be Tigerstars' job. _I'm sure he'd be willing._

"Coming, Brambleclaw" he replied, dashing in after the other cats into the forest. _No, nothing's wrong Brambleclaw. I'm just daydreaming, that's all. _He smiled for the first time since that fateful night, but not out of happiness. Out of something else that he couldn't place.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Complexities

Disclaimer: Everybody wishes they owned something, right? Maybe a brand new Corvette. A mansion. A college admission. A Starbucks Mocha Frappucino. Simba as a cub. All of these sound great, don't get me wrong, and I would love all of them. However, what I would REALLY like is if I could one day say on here 'I, may5475, am owner of the Warriors series and do not have to ever again say that I don't own it because I do'. However, since this probably will never happen in my lifetime, I am forced to say now that I don't, and probably never will, own the Warriors series.

Rating: T, you know, if anything might get…out of hand…lol

_Craziness. I have gone completely nuts. I mean, who am I to think that (1) I can predict what an omen means, (2) can do this WITHOUT my mentors help since she has left me, (3) spend that much time with another cat who probably is about to rip off my ears because I'm half-Clan, (4) not tell anyone that I've seen her, and (5) possibly fall in love with the little brat._

_I mean, we've already broken the Code by being half-Clan. Or was that Leafpool/Crowfeather's fault? Who's fault is it actually? I guess we should just blame everyone. That's what Firestar is doing. _

_Anyway, there isn't any more mercy in StarClans heart for my little "fling". _

_Just forget the whole thing, Jayfeather. Forget it ever happened. Forget how beautiful she is, how her eyes glimmer when she talks, how her paw steps are so soft you can hardly hear her. _

_Wait, how do I know this? I'm blind._

_Maybe love is blind, too?_

Authors Note: Sorry this chapter was so short, but I made it that way so Jayfeather could just reflect his feelings for a little bit.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Complexities

Disclaimer: Let's get this over as I just say I don't own it.

Rating: T, because sometimes I can start typing and then read what I've just said and go "OMG, I'm going to hell for that!" lol

_Focus. Focus. Focus. _

_Did you smell that? It smelled like…RiverClan?_

"Brambleclaw! I think…" Lionblaze started to tell the deputy he had just caught a whiff of RiverClan scent when the strong cat turned on him.

"If you _dare _say you just think you smelled RiverClan, then you're a little late, furball." He snapped, turning back to trace the scent.

Lionblaze knew he should have caught if sooner. What was wrong with him? Was it Hollyleaf, or Leafpool, or himself? _Why does this have to happen to me? What did I ever do?_

"Have too much pride" The meow came from his right.

"Tigerstar?" He meowed, catching the massive toms' appearance. A shiver went through his pelt.

"Yes, Lionblaze. I see you are having some problems." He meowed.

For a second, Lionblaze let himself trust his grandfather. "Yes, I don't know what's wrong, I just can't…what should I do?"

"You seem to be mourning the loss of the little half-Clan cat you called a sister, am I correct?" He meowed, looking disgusted.

"She _was_ my sister. And, she was related to you too…isn't that right?" He meowed, more confused than ever. They were all siblings, right? That was the only thing he could still believe and now Tigerstar was trying to ruin that too.

"Oh, yes, the little fleabag was my grand-daughter. I wasn't proud of it, though. You see, if you are half-Clan but you can overcome it, then I will still help you. However, she couldn't handle it."

_I don't know if I can, either…_

"Take Hawkfrost, for example. He was half-Clan, but he wanted my help. Unlike your father." Tigerstar let out an annoyed hiss.

_Well, not exactly. Where were you when the Gathering was happening? Because, if you had seen it, you would know that you shouldn't be talking to me because I'm not related to you at all. _

"But, Hawkfrost died. And Hollyleaf died. Does that mean any cat who is half-Clan will die?" He meowed, remembering stories that Mousefur had told him when he was an apprentice of Tigerstar. How he had killed any half-Clan cats.

"No, my grandson. It is something you must overcome, you see. If you take my advice, then you can overcome it. However, if you do as your sister, than you will perish." He could see Tigerstars' eyes glimmer. He began to fade.

"I'll see to it." Then, with the mist of the dawn, he disappeared.

Lionblaze felt his pelt shiver once again.

_Great, one more thing to add to my list of things to be concerned about._

He continued on the patrol, following the other Clans scent.

_WAIT A MINUTE! How the hell does Tigerstar know that I'm half-Clan and still believe that I'm his grandson? Perhaps he's been ignoring it. Or maybe he's just stupid. _

Lionblaze was more confused than ever. And, of course, he knew Tigerstar would be back. To explain and to punish. And, as always was a threat with the tom, to kill.

Lionblazes' paws went limp and everything went black.


End file.
